Out-of-print

Author: Li Jinghan (Editor-in-Chief) / Tang Jing (Editor)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Time, dusty and weary, stripped away flesh and blood, yet snatched away scenery in the process. For us, things gone are always so nostalgic, and such dark images become even more vivid in the mist of memory. The Tianqiao in Beijing, now "out of print," is one such thing. Originally, the bridge was simply a bridge—a north-south oriented white marble bridge spanning the Longxugou River. It was named "Tianqiao" because emperors had to cross it to worship at the Temple of Heaven. Later, "Tianqiao" came to refer to the entire area.
Beijing's Tianqiao has a history of over 700 years. During the Yuan, Ming dynasties, and the early Qing period, the area around Tianqiao was still a water-rich region. At that time, pavilions and terraces, lotus boats, green willows and red lotuses, swallows and orioles in flight—such scenery stood out in the rugged northern landscape. However, gradually, starting from the Ming Dynasty, more and more visitors gathered in the Tianqiao area, and peddlers selling goods also flocked here. By the Daoguang and Xianfeng years of the Qing Dynasty, a large number of mobile stalls gathered at the western and northern roots of the Temple of Heaven, as well as the eastern and northern roots of the Temple of Agriculture. Every day, from morning to evening, vendors set up stalls selling small goods and various foods. Since the government did not levy taxes on the peddlers, the area's commerce flourished even more. Many taverns and teahouses also sprang up in Tianqiao, and a large bird market formed to the west of Tianqiao, along with the adjacent Goldfish Pool, which was not only a place to buy goldfish but also a scenic spot.
By the late Qing and early Republican era, there were also railway station guild halls, warehouse inns, teahouses, and theaters, making the area even livelier. The photographs included in the book are all actual scenes of Tianqiao from the 1930s, totaling over 200 images, documenting the Three Teachings and Nine Classes, the Five Elements and Eight Crafts, various (variety shows), and countless kinds of food. Through these images, the lost era drifts before us, as if within reach. Through this book, we attempt to approach that era authentically by following its faint traces (historical photographs, documents, artworks, and accounts from those who experienced it), restoring its general appearance, catching its scent, sketching its outline, and feeling its dust.
The Tianqiao was originally just a bridge—a north-south oriented white marble bridge spanning the Longxugou River. It was named "Tianqiao" because emperors had to cross it to worship at the Temple of Heaven. Later, "Tianqiao" came to refer to the entire area.
Beijing's Tianqiao has a history of over 700 years. During the Yuan, Ming dynasties, and the early Qing period, the area around Tianqiao was still a water-rich region. At that time, pavilions and terraces, lotus boats, green willows and red lotuses, swallows and orioles in flight—such scenery stood out in the rugged northern landscape. However, gradually, starting from the Ming Dynasty, more and more visitors gathered in the Tianqiao area, and peddlers selling goods also flocked here. By the Daoguang and Xianfeng years of the Qing Dynasty, a large number of mobile stalls gathered at the western and northern roots of the Temple of Heaven, as well as the eastern and northern roots of the Temple of Agriculture. Every day, from morning to evening, vendors set up stalls selling small goods and various foods. Since the government did not levy taxes on the peddlers, the area's commerce flourished even more. Many taverns and teahouses also sprang up in Tianqiao, and a large bird market formed to the west of Tianqiao, along with the adjacent Goldfish Pool, which was not only a place to buy goldfish but also a scenic spot.
By the late Qing and early Republican era, there were also railway station guild halls, warehouse inns, teahouses, and theaters, making the area even livelier. The photographs included in the book are all actual scenes of Tianqiao from the 1930s, totaling over 200 images, documenting the Three Teachings and Nine Classes, the Five Elements and Eight Crafts, various (variety shows), and countless kinds of food. Through these images, the lost era drifts before us, as if within reach. Through this book, we attempt to approach that era authentically by following its faint traces (historical photographs, documents, artworks, and accounts from those who experienced it), restoring its general appearance, catching its scent, sketching its outline, and feeling its dust.